Vertical lift canopy door



June 10, 1958 T. URQUHART VERTICAL LIFT CANOPY DOOR 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 9. 1954 IN V EN TOR. THOPN TON L UPQUHA R 7:

June 10, 1958 T. L. URQUHART 2,338,302

VERTICAL LIFT CANOPY DOOR Filed Aug. 9, 1954 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVEN TOR. THORNTON L.UPOUHART,

June 10, 1958 T. 1.. URQUHART VERTICAL LIFT CANOPY DOOR 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Aug. 9. 1954 INVENTOR. THORNTON L.UROUHAR T.

MM, My? M June 10, 1958 T. L. URQUHART 2,838,302

VERTICAL LIFT CANOPY DOOR Filed Aug. 9, 1954 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 III/III] INVENTOR.

THORN TO/V L .URQUHA P 7.

June 10, 1958 T. URQUHART 2,838,302

VERTICAL LIFT CANOPY DOOR Filed Aug. 9, 1954 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 IN VEN TOR. THORN TON L.UPQUHA/?7I United States Patent 2,838,302 VERTICAL LIFT CANOPY noon 'nmmton L. Urquhart, Far'rriing'ton, Mich assig s: to Byrne Doors, Inc., Ferndale, Mich., a corporation of Michigan Application August 9, 1954, Serial No. 448,636

2 Claims. (Cl. 268 -74) The invention relates to doors and refers more particularly to doors of the vertical lift canopy type having top and bottom leaves with the bottom leaf movable vertically with respect to the top leaf when the top leaf is arranged in vertical closed position and with both the top and bottom leaves tiltable as a unit between substan tially vertical closed and substantially horizontal open positions. d p p v p The invention has for one of its objects to provide an improved construction of door in which the top leaf has pivotally mounted tilt arms which serve to guide the bottom leaf. V

The invention has for another object to provide an improved construction of door having separate motors for effecting the vertical raising and lowering of the bot tom leaf and the tilting of both leaves.

The invention has for afurther object to separately counterweight the top and bottom leaves and to support the counterweight means for the bottom leaf during the tilting of both leaves toprevent creep of the cable means relative to the driving drum over which passes the cable means between the bottom leaf and the counterweight means. i I

The invention has for a still further object to provide an improved construction of door in which the tilting of the leaves is accomplished by means including pivo-tally mounted tilt arms, a screw for each tilt arm and reduction gearing for driving each screw located within a pi-votally mounted gear box, and a bracket supports the pivot for each tilt arm and the pivot for the associated gear box with the pivots in predetermined or fixed spaced relation.

With these and other objects in view the inventionresides in the novel features of construction and combinations and arrangements of parts as more fully hereinafter set forth.

Figure 1 is an outside elevation of a door embodying the invention;

Figures 2 and 3 are cross sections on the lines 2-- and 3-3', respectively, of Figure 1;

Figures 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 are cross seotions on the lines 4 4, 5-5-, 6-6, 7-7 and 8 8: of- Figure 3.

The door is of the vertical lift canopy type having the top and bottom leaves 1 and 2, respectively, with the bottom l'eaf movable vertically with respect to and substantially parallel to thetop leaf during the opening and closing of the door and with both the top and bottom leaves tilta'ble to extend outside the building when the door is open. As illustrated in the present instance, the building is an airplane hangar to which the door is particularly applicable.

The top leaf 1 comprises the laterally spaced coplanar main sections 3, the weathering end sections 4, and the tilt arms 5 at and secured to the adjacent ends of the Patented June 10, 1958 sections 3 and 4. The bottom leaf 2 comprise-s the laterally spaced coplanar main sections 6 and the weathering end sections 7 offset inwardly of the sections 3 and {i and ex'tendingbetween and guided by the tilt arms. The bottom leaf also comprises the cover plates 8 bridging the spaces between and secured to the adjacent ends of the sections 6 and 7. The sections 3 and 4 have the end stiles 9 and 10, respectively, and the sections 6 and 7 have the end stiles 11 and 12, respectively, to the latter of which are secured the cover plates 8 and the running stiles 13. The running stiles carry the rollers 14 and 15 having their axes respectively parallel and at right an gles to the webs of the stiles. The rollers 14 and also the rollers 15 on the adjacent running stiles are arranged in pairs with one roller opposite a like roller.

The tilt arms 5 are each formed of the I-beam element '16 and the channel beam elements 17. The I-beam element hasthe lower'and upper portions 13 and 19, respectively, and the channel-beam elements are secured to the upper end of the lower portion by the outer and inner gusset plates 20 and 21, respectively. The lower portion is of modified I-beam cross section and has the web 22 extending between the adjacent end stiles 9, or the adjacent end stiles 9 and 10, and also between the adjacent running stiles 13. The lower portion also has the outer flange 23 bridging the space between and secured to the outer sides of the end stiles 9 and 1t) and also has the inner flange 24 spaced inwardly of the running stiles 13. To complete the guide'wa'ys for the'rollers 14, the web 22 has secured thereto the guide angles 25 having their. hearing faces predeterminedly spaced from the bearing faces of the inner flange 24 for the rollers. The upper portion 19 is formed by splitting the modified l-beam which forms the lower portion 18 and also has a modified 1- beam cross section in which the outer flange 26 is a plate welded to the split web with its roller bearing faces in alignment with those of the guide angles 25. The construotion is such that the guide angles 25 and flange 26.

cooperate with the inner flange 24 to guide the rollers 1 1,

and the portion of the web 22 between the guide angles.

25 and inner flange 24 and between the flange 26 and the inner flange 24' guide the rollers 15.

To raise and lower the bottom leaf 2, each of the main sections 6 has secured thereto one or more sheaves 27 around each of which extends a cable 28 anchored at one end to a tilt arm 5 by the U-bolt 29 secured to one of the plates 30 which are secured to the lower ends of the channel-beam elements 17 and to the upper end of the lower portion 18 of the I-beam element 16. These plates are provided with the opening 31 for freely receiving theupper end portions of the associated running stiles 13. Each cable is connected at its other end to the one counterweight 32 for the bottom leaf. The cables intermediate their ends run over the deflector sheaves 33, the" transfer sheaves 34 and the drum 35 which latter is adapted to be driven in either direction by the electric motor 36. The deflector sheaves 33 are above the sheaves 27 and are mounted on the supports 37 which in turn are se cured to the adjacent channel-beam elements 17. The

transfer sheaves 34, the drum 35 and the electric motor 36' are mounted on the structural frame Work of the hangar', preferably atone end thereof.

The tilt'arnis 5 are mounted on the brackets 38 which in turn are secured to the vertical plates 59 of T-section arranged in pairs and mounted on the structural frame Work of the hangar above the door opening. The

39 and the lower portions 42 spaced from the plates 39 and each other and secured to these plates by the angle bars 43 and 44 and the plates 45. The lower portions 42 carry the interfitting blocks 46 welded to the lower portions. These blocks have axially aligned openings formed with the internal complementary partly spherical bearing surfaces 47 for receiving the bushing 48 having the external partly spherical surface 49 slidably fitting the bearing surfaces 47 and the internal cylindrical surface 50 for receiving the pivot pin 51. The pivot pin extends through the plates 52 which are located at opposite sides of the lower portions 42 of the bracket side plates 40 and are welded to the outer side of the plate 26 which forms part of the upper portion 19 of the I-beam element 16, and also to the outer flange 23 and the plates 30.

The driving mechanism for tilting the tilt arms comprises the nut 53 for each tilt arm, the screw 54 engaging each nut, the reduction gearing 55 for driving each screw, the shaft 56 for driving all of the reduction gearings, and the electric motor 57 for driving the shaft in either direction.

Each nut 53 is universally mounted on its tilt arm. This is accomplished by providing the pair of axially aligned pivot pins 58 and the pair of axially aligned pivot pins 59 with their axes at right angles to the axes of the pivot pins 58. The pivot pins 58 rotatably engage opposite sides of the nut 53 and are fastened in the bosses 69 of the carrier 61. The pivot pins 59 rotatably engage the bearings 62 of the carrier 61 and are fastened in the bars 63 which are secured to the plates 64 extending between and fastened to the channel-shaped elements 17 of the tilt arm.

- The reduction gearing 55 comprises the bevel gear 65 which is secured to an end of the screw 54 and the bevel pinion 66 meshing with the bevel gear 65. The bevel gear and bevel pinion are housed in the gear box 67 and the screw 54 is journalled in the bearings 68 carried by the gear box. The shaft 56 is formed of a number of sections 69 coupled together at their ends by suitable flexible couplings 70 of conventional construction. There is one shaft section 69 extending through and journalled in each gear box 67 and the bevel pinion 66 is secured to this section. The electric motor 57 is adapted to be connected to one of the shaft sections 69. This electric motor is mounted on the structural frame work of the hangar above the door opening, preferably near the tilt arm midway between the ends of the door or one of the tilt arms near the midway zone of the door.

The brackets 38. in addition to supporting the pivot pins 51 of the tilt arms, support the gear boxes 67. As shown, the upper portions 41 of the side plates 40 of each bracket have welded thereto the collars 71 carrying the bearings 72 in which are journalled the axially aligned gudgeons'73 at the ends of the associated gear box. The shaft section 69 extending through this gear box is journalled in the gudgeons. With this construction, each bracket supports a pivot pin and a gear box with the axis of the pivot pin positioned a predetermined or fixed distance from the aligned axes of the gudgeons of the gear box.

For the purpose of axially aligning all of the pivot pins of the tilt arms and all of the gudgeons of the gear boxes and all of the drive shaft sections journalled in the gudgeons, the brackets 38 are adjustable both vertically and horizontally relative to the plates 39. This adjustment may be accomplished by bolting the upper portions 41 and the lower portions 42 of the side plates 40 respectively to the plates 39 and the angle bars 43 and by bolting the angle bars 44 to the plates 39 and providing transverse slots for receiving the bolts. As shown, the slots in the plates 39 and the lower portions 42 are vertical and the slots in the upper portions 41 and the angle bars 43 and 44 are horizontal.

To facilitate vertical adjustment of each of the brackets 4 38, the plates 39 and the side plates 40 have welded thereto the angle bars 74 and 75, respectively, with the latter above the former and the take-up bolts 76 are adjustably threaded in the angle bars 75 and abut the angle bars 74. The take-up bolts are held in adjusted positions by the lock nuts 77.

For the purpose of counterbalancing the door after the bottom leaf has been raised to a position in which the top and bottom leaves 1 and 2 are side by side, there are the counterweights 78 at the upper ends of the tilt arms 5.

To prevent the counterweight 32 exerting a force on the cables 28 compelling the cables to creep with respect to the drum 35 during the tilting of the door at which time the effective weight of the bottom leaf acting on the cables is less than the weight of the counterweight, the bumper 79 is provided for engaging and supporting the counterweight after the bottom leaf has been raised to its vertical lift position. Since the deflector sheaves 33 in the closed position of the door have their axes located horizontally inwardly from the axes of the pivot pins 51 and these deflector sheaves swing downwardly in a clockwise direction during the tilting of the door, the opening movement of the bottom leaf relative to the top leaf is continued until the bottom leaf reaches its fully open position.

Assuming the door to be closed in vertical position with the bottom leaf 2 lowered relative to the top leaf 1, upon actuation of the electric motor 36 to rotate the drum 35 in a clockwise direction, the bottom leaf 2 will be raised vertically at the inner side of the top leaf to thevertical lift position of the bottom leaf at which time the counterweight 32 is supported on the bumper 79. Upon actuation of the electric motor 57, the door with the top and bottom leaves side by side, will be tilted in a clockwise direction about the pivots 51 by the shaft 56 and driving mechanisms between the shaft and the tilt arms 5. During this tilting, the opening movement of the bottom leaf relative to the top leaf is continued a limited distance by reason of the angular downward movement of the deflector sheaves 33 until the bottom leaf reaches its fully open position. Assuming the door to be fully open, actuation of the electric motor 57 to drive the shaft 56 in reverse direction tilts the top and bottom leaves to a vertical posi tion during which time the bottom leaf returns from fully open position to vertical lift position. At this time, the top leaf is in closed position. Upon actuation of the electric motor 36, the bottom leaf is lowered to closed position.

The operation of the electric motors may be manually controlled, if desired, and the operation of opening and closing the door may be effected manually, if desired, without the electric motors.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. A door comprising a leaf having coplanar sections and pivotal tilt arms at and secured to the adjacent ends of said sections, driving mechanism for swinging said leaf about the pivots of said tilt arms having a nut universally connected to each tilt arm, a screw for engaging each nut, a pivotal gear box for each screw, reduction gearing in each gear box connected to the associated screw, a, drive shaft having a shaft section journalled in each gear box and connected to the associated reduction gearing, and an adjustably mounted unitary bracket forming a common support for the pivot of each tilt arm and the pivot of the associated gear box, said brackets cooperating with each other to align the pivots for all of the tilt arms and also to align all of the shaft sections.

2. A door comprising a leaf having coplanar sections and pivotal tilt arms at and secured to the adjacent ends of said sections, driving mechanism for swinging said leaf about the pivots of said tilt arms having a nut universally connected to each tilt arm, a screw for engaging each nut, a gear box for each screw having axially aligned gudgeons, reduction gearing in each gear box connected to the associated screw, a driver shaft having a. shaft section journalled in the aligned gudgeons of each gear box and connected to the associated reduction gearing, and an adjustably mounted unitary bracket forming a common support for the pivot of each tilt arm and the aligned gudgeons of the associated gear box, said brackets cooperating with each other to align the pivots of all of the tilt arms and also to align all of the shaft sections.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Putnam Mar. 16, 1926 Austin May 8, 1934 Austin May 8, 1934 Deans May 21, 1940 Morgan Sept. 17, 1946 

